Premiere ................................. May 4-6, 2012
MESSIAH (Selected Movements): Sinfony, Comfort Ye, Glory
of the Lord, And He Shall Purify, The People That Walked In
Darkness, PIFA, He Shall Feed His Flock, Behod A Virgin Shall
Conceive, Surely He Hath Borne Our Griefs,
Hallelujah Chorus,
Oh Death Where Is Thy Sting

Movements: Sinfony, Comfort Ye, Glory
of the Lord, And He Shall Purify, The
People That Walked In Darkness,
He Shall Feed His Flock, Behod A
Virgin Shall Conceive, Surely He Hath
Borne Our Griefs,
Hallelujah Chorus,
Oh Death Where Is Thy Sting, PIFA

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In the summer of 1741 Handel, depressed and in debt, began setting Charles Jennens' Biblical libretto to music at a breakneck speed In just 24
days, Messiah was complete (August 22–September 14).

- Handel conducted Messiah many times and often altered the music to suit the needs of the singers and orchestra he had available to him for each
performance. Consequently, no single version can be regarded as the "authentic" one

- Composed in London during the summer of 1741 and premiered in Dublin, Ireland on 13 April 1742, it was repeatedly revised by Handel, reaching
its most familiar version in the performance to benefit the Foundling Hospital in 1754